


Coming to Terms

by QueenEgg



Series: Kingdom Eternal [6]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Hornet finally accepts the fact that she has Feelings, Polyamorous Quirrel, hi im mae and im multishipping garbage, random stag makes an appearance at the end too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-21 13:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13742013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenEgg/pseuds/QueenEgg
Summary: Hornet finally accepts that perhaps, she might just like Quirrel a bit more than she should.





	Coming to Terms

**Author's Note:**

> hello again,, its me... mae.. multishipper extraordinaire. Though if you've been following my tumblr you probably knew this was coming! Anyways, Enjoy!

Hornet didn’t like to make a habit of getting too close to other bugs. Ghost was the only exception to that rule simply because they were both her sibling and protector. When it came to Quirrel, she had no such reasons to be near him.

In the time since his return, the relationship between her sibling and Monomon’s former student had changed so fast that Hornet was actually surprised the last time she actually slowed down to inquire how Ghost was doing. After Quirrel had seemingly come back from the dead- his reappearance shocking both her and Ghost in equal measure -to begin the process of re-establishing the archives, she’d assigned her sibling to watch him. Hornet wasn’t oblivious to how smitten Ghost was with the other bug, but she also knew that someone so vital to Hallownest’s revival couldn’t be allowed to leave the kingdom again. Ghost’s presence would ensure that Quirrel would at least think twice before departing once more.

However, it wasn’t until after the incident with the king’s followers that he and Ghost’s relationship seemed to have advanced even further.

The two of them were already spending every free moment in each other’s company, but when Ghost returned from an impromptu outing with Quirrel, she could tell there was something different about the two.

All her attempts to pry the truth out of Ghost were met with amused mental tittering, so when she paid a seemingly random visit to the archives Hornet didn’t expect to see a perfect replica of a fragile flower sitting atop Quirrel’s desk. The pale ore it was made of was as familiar to her as her own needle- the weapon crafted from the same material for a much less heartfelt reason. Although she wasn’t one to be emotional, Hornet knew exactly what had transpired between the two. However, that didn’t mean she’d ever let herself slip and call Quirrel her-

“ _I hope I’m not being too much of a bother in asking for your assistance, Queen Hornet, but you’re the only one who can help me._ ”

The words making up his innocent plea repeated in her head, and it was with a resigned sigh that Hornet had accepted Quirrel’s request to accompany him into Deepnest. Her mother’s former dwelling and the Weaver’s Den were both full of valuable records that held knowledge from outside of Hallownest’s grasp, and as the Queen of two kingdoms, it was her duty to ensure the perpetuation of her birth home’s traditions. Despite her wish to avoid interacting with others as much as possible, she couldn’t avoid working with the only remaining scholar in her lands.

“I’ll be waiting for you in the canyon six chimes after the morning bell’s toll. Don’t be late.” Hornet’s harsh tone did nothing to curb Quirrel’s enthusiasm in the end, and when she’d arrived at the site, she found him already there with several glass tubes hanging from his back.

Wordlessly, the two of them began their descent, although Hornet knew that the other bug’s curiosity would soon result in her being bombarded with questions she had no desire to answer.

Deepnest was by no means a friendly landscape for outsiders to traverse. While Hornet deftly leaped over gaps in the ground and avoided tripping or falling down into holes, Quirrel was at risk of toppling over at any moment due to the sheer volume of containers he’d brought with him. When he nearly stumbled into a pit full of hissing, spiked worms, Hornet was forced to turn around and pull him up herself before setting him upright once more, her annoyance at being held back from making progress overtaking the already unsettling atmosphere.

When Quirrel attempted to thank her for her assistance, Hornet did her best to tune him out, focusing on the familiar sounds coming from around her. Herrah’s kingdom was once full of spiders, but although the coming of the infection had reduced their numbers, there were still a good number of denizens among the dark. Even now she could hear them watching her, and she knew that if Quirrel weren’t following in her wake- carefully placing his feet where she last placed hers to avoid falling again -they would have approached.

As it was, under her orders, the spiders of Deepnest were no longer allowed to attack the bugs of Hallownest unless in self-defense, but her kin were too wary of outsiders to make themselves known so soon after recovering from the plague. Hornet knew that during their excursion, there was little chance of them seeing another-

“ _It's_ -” Hornet glanced back at Quirrel as he tripped over a small crack in the ground, pausing his speech briefly. “It's incredible how different the infrastructure of these caverns are from the ones in Hallownest! Are all the tunnels here so narrow? How do most of the spiders deal with such unstable ground?” Shoving down her hesitation to respond, Hornet sighed and resigned herself to her fate.

“Most bugs don't traverse these caverns in the way spiders do. Some of them travel across stone held together by webbing, others cling to the rock above our heads, or walk along their own threads. Only ones such as ourselves tread these lower paths with nothing else to guide us,” she said, stopping in front of a gap that she knew Quirrel wouldn't be able to cross on his own. Glancing up, a familiar pathway to the place she’d been raised in appeared in her mind, prompting her to ask, “How heavy are those containers you carry?”

In response, Quirrel stood up a little straighter, the vials on his shoulders clinking against each other softly. “Oh, they're very light but quite sturdy. Monomon developed them to resist the archive’s more acidic qualities. Why?”

Ignoring his query, Hornet wrapped an arm around Quirrel’s midsection before throwing her needle up far above their heads. After making a few tugs to test the line’s strength she began to climb up her thread, with Quirrel’s resulting cry of surprise being swallowed up by the emptiness of the room as they ascended. When she finally set him down on the ledge, Quirrel staggered forward slightly.

“ _Well,_ that was quite an enlightening experience.” He seemed slightly dazed, but Quirrel wasn’t one to let things hold him back. Nor did it stop him from speaking his mind. ”I didn't know your shell was so…” He turned to give her an odd look. “ _Soft_.”

The word hung in the air between them, and it wasn’t until she realized that the soft hairs lining her body were bristling beneath her cloak- and further proving his point against her will -that Hornet made a strangled noise and shoved her way past him, the entrance to the Weaver’s Den providing ample distraction from her flustered state.

Hornet wanted to ignore how his warm laughter echoed after her, but as it was, she didn’t want to think about things even more. It wasn’t in her nature to lie to herself, but at the same time, the other bug made her _want_. Hornet knew how dangerous desire was. Desire led to her receiving the mark meant for her sibling, it led to her becoming the Queen of a kingdom struggling to regain the very life she was trying to breathe back into it, and it led to her longing for the companionship of someone she knew wasn’t _her’s-_

“ _Hornet-_ Hornet?” Quirrel’s gentle touch on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts. “I apologize if I came off as rude just now, but you simply must know how remarkable you are! Why even Ghost lacks a similar feature, their shell is completely smooth, but yours-! It’s _incredible,_  and I can’t believe I haven’t noticed before now!” His excitement spilled out in a way Hornet could barely comprehend, even as she tried not to focus on the hand he still had resting on her shoulder.

“Yes, well, thank you I suppose. I suspect you’ll need my assistance in reading these records since the Weavers didn’t keep their knowledge in the same way as the rest of the kingdom did. Hand me one of those tubes, please.” The sharp formality in her own voice tasted bitter as she pulled away from Quirrel and held a hand out for him to deposit the container in. Once the receptacle was in her grasp, she set about taking off the woven cords hanging above them, ignoring him in silence as she worked.

Hornet knew where the most important records were kept, and it was with a few precise leaps that she was able to make her way to the top of the former haven with a few free strands of silk wrapped around her arm. The intricately woven memoirs that were tied to the walls may have seemed like regular thread to anyone else, but Hornet knew how to unravel the stories within.

It took a few moments of patience on her behalf to remember how the sequences went, but then it was simply a matter of replicating the pattern- tying knots, loops, and braids before finishing it off with a rough estimate of what the original weaver’s signature was in life. The copies were placed in the tube as well, and with her work done, Hornet descended to the ground floor where Quirrel was waiting. When she handed the container back to him, he looked like he might speak for a moment before apparently thinking better of it. Instead, he made a quiet noise of gratitude and waited for her to exit the den first before following her.

Traveling to the Distant Village in the quiet dark gave Hornet some time to reflect even if she didn’t want to. Being short with the other bug wasn’t worthy behavior of a Queen. Quirrel had done nothing wrong, after all. It was Hornet who couldn’t rationalize her own thoughts and actions. But at the same time, when she thought back to the metal flower- a perfect representation of a _perfect couple_ -

When the two finally arrived at the former home of the spider’s of Deepnest, Hornet was already full of dread for what she knew needed to be done. However, her own reluctance didn’t stop her from wordlessly opening her arms for Quirrel to step into them once she’d anchored her nail on a far-off platform.

As soon as he’d stepped into her embrace, Hornet had to force herself not to focus on the warmth that he gave off, and how right it felt to hold him close to herself. The familiar rush she usually got from swinging underneath the village’s woven dens was amplified with him in her arms- the beating of her heart so loud that she feared he would hear it. After they both touched down on the landing, she pulled away and kept her gaze trained ahead of her as she entered what was once her childhood home.

Hornet was thankful that the construction of the Beast’s den meant that Quirrel could easily scale the walls without her assistance. While he climbed, she zipped straight to the top with her needle and thread, stepping into the room that formerly served as Herrah’s bedchamber. There was nothing left of her mother after Ghost absorbed her seal. The lack of closure- the inability to mourn even in spider tradition -left Hornet feeling empty as she approached the stone plinth that the former Queen of Deepnest had slept on until her dying day. Would she be proud of her daughter’s efforts? Hornet hoped so.

Letting her hand fall atop the slab, she took in how cold it was. Hornet didn’t know why she would expect it to feel otherwise now that there was no longer a living body to warm its surface. Yet even knowing this, she could almost imagine Herrah still lying there if only she closed her eyes-

“Do you miss her?” Quirrel’s voice reached her even in her distracted state, and the former energy in her limbs drained out from her fingertips, Hornet’s shoulders dropping as she turned back towards him.

“Of course,” she murmured, “there isn’t a day where I don’t wish she was still alive, or wonder- Is she watching me? Is there a place out there for her soul to find rest? All her expectations were placed upon me, and yet I’ll never know whether I met them or not.” Before she knew it, the other bug was at her side, reaching up to place a hand on her back in a comforting gesture.

“I hope I don’t seem self-centered when I say this, but I can understand how you feel,” Quirrel spoke quietly, and Hornet felt the knot in her chest tighten despite how soothing it was to hear his voice.

“Monomon chose me to fulfill the duty of keeping her mask safe, but in order to do so, I had to let go of my entire life. Although there are moments where I remember pieces of the past, I’ll never be able to get those memories back, not really. Even now, when I’m in the archives working on what used to be her legacy, I can’t help but hope that I- that I was enough, and that I didn’t let her  _down-_ ” Before Quirrel could finish speaking, Hornet leaned down and wrapped her arms around him.

It was an impulse decision on her part, but at that point, she couldn’t stop herself even if she wanted to. To think that Quirrel- sweet, _helpful_ Quirrel, who had never so much as gone out of his way to say a rude word about anyone for as long as she’d known him -would think himself capable of disappointing anybody? To Hornet, it was unfathomable. She’d tried so hard to keep her distance, but now, with his head pressed to her shoulder and her hands on his shell, she didn’t want to let go.

“The idea that you could let anyone down is laughable,” Hornet said, struggling to keep her tone even, “least of all someone like you, Quirrel. You who always tries so hard to see the best in every individual you meet. If Monomon failed to recognize the brilliance in you then she would be a fool of the highest order. But I know that wasn’t the case because you’re _here_ , with me, right now, even though all I’ve been trying to do is push you away since I realized that you and Ghost are _married_ -” She struggled not to choke on the last word as it left her mouth, the culmination of all her worries bleeding into her voice even as she felt Quirrel reach around to hold her in turn.

Perhaps she might’ve found the situation more amusing as an outsider, with the other bug’s smaller frame enveloped in her embrace as she held him to herself, ignoring how the containers strapped to his shoulders dug into her shell. Hornet couldn’t tell how long she clung to Quirrel in the quiet of the former resting chamber. Every attempt she made to force herself to let go of him was met with a stillness in her mind that prevented her from moving at all. It was only when Quirrel himself began to move that she found the strength to draw away, her thoughts blank as the two of them separated and stood apart from each other.

“Ah, I’m sorry-” her apology was cut short when Quirrel stepped back into her space and took her hand so he could hold it against the side of his face, an adoring gaze staring back at her from behind his mask.

“ _Hornet_ ,” he said, her breath catching at the softness in his voice as she focused on the point of contact between them. “I want us to preserve Deepnest’s history and traditions, together. Will you help me?” She was already nodding in agreement before he’d even finished speaking.  

“Yes- yes, I will.”

* * *

* * *

As soon as they were finished gathering up the rest of the records from the Beast’s Den, enough time had passed for Hornet to reconsider her actions. No matter what she wanted, she couldn’t lay claim to Quirrel in such a way, especially not on a whim caused by her own insecurity. Once all the most important strings of thread were safely contained in the storage tubes, the two exited the hanging nest silently. Even when she had to hold onto him once more to swing them up to the stag station, Hornet refused to get ahead of herself.  

Standing in front of the platform, Hornet did her best to remain still even with Quirrel at her side. While he was preoccupied with double checking over what they’d saved from the excursion, she tried to slip away silently, only to be stopped when he lifted his head up slightly and let out a teasing, “Leaving without saying goodbye?”

Her steps halted almost immediately, and it was with a resigned sigh that she turned around to face him.

“I’ve completed my work here, and you clearly no longer need my assistance.” Hornet wasn’t given much of a chance to continue before Quirrel wrapped his hands around her wrists, his touch gentle but firm.

“Back to the formalities already? Hornet, you were honest with me earlier, so why not now? Or- or was I misunderstanding you?” She hated how she was always the one who’d fostered the uncertainty in his tone. “Please, just tell me what it is you want-”

“You, I want _you_ ,” she forced out, “But I can’t have you because you belong to Ghost and I can’t- I’ve already taken so much from them. I can’t take you too.” Hornet wanted to cry, but she refused to let the tears fall. She couldn’t afford to let them, not when she might’ve just destroyed any chance she might’ve had with the other bug.

However, to her surprise, instead of shoving her away in rejection or simply letting go, Quirrel began to laugh, the noise making her head swim with how sweet it sounded.

“Is that truly what you were worried about? Ghost and I may be together in nearly all meanings of the word, but I’m certainly no possession to be owned by one bug. Love simply doesn’t work that way,” he said. How funny was it to her that him so much as saying the word ‘love’ made her dizzy with affection. “Hornet, you think so highly of me and yet-”

Whatever Quirrel might’ve been planning to say was cut off by a loud chiming. When she looked up, she realized that he’d accidentally backed into the bell post, the sound of a stag galloping through the tunnels soon reaching them.

“Unfortunately, it appears that our time together has been cut short, but, I have one last question for you.” Quirrel’s grip on her wrists vanished just before a young stag emerged from the stagways, huffing with pride at his speed before looking alarmed at the sight of Hallownest’s elusive Queen standing before him.

“At ease, I won’t be traveling with you two. What is it, Quirrel?” Hornet tried to keep the hope out of her voice despite all the signs, the soft hairs on her shell all bristling at once.

Gathering the filled containers in his arms, Quirrel lifted them into the stag’s saddle and secured them before tilting his head at her. “Are you going to court me?” he asked. In turn, she paused for a moment. _Was she going to-?_

The realization hit Hornet like a belfly to the face.

“I- yes. Yes! _Quirrel-_ ” For a few seconds, her emotions threatened to spill out of her in an unending torrent. It was only when she remembered that they weren’t alone that she forced herself back into a composed state. “Ah- I mean, I never taught you how to read the notes the weavers left behind. I suppose that, as the new Queen of Deepnest, it would also be my duty to ensure you are taught how to properly translate them whenever I’m free to stop by the archives?” Hornet’s question lingered in the air for only a moment before Quirrel let out another soft laugh.

 _“I’ll be looking forward to your visit, Hornet.”_ was the last thing she heard before the stag departed down the stagways with the scholarly bug on his back.

She would never admit it to anyone, but she was looking forward to it too.

**Author's Note:**

> these two are so sweet together. too bad it won't last long.


End file.
